Michael Swickard's new novel about New Mexico

It is common knowledge that the existing driver’s license issuance law in New Mexico is being exploited by crime rings. Groups of criminals are routinely marketing the availability of N.M. driver's licenses illegally to out-of-state foreigners. Their use of phony addresses and bogus residency documents is causing the validity of all N.M. driver’s licenses to be drawn into question everywhere.
﻿﻿Late this week the House Judiciary Committee rejected a modification of the existing driver's license issuance bill that Governor Susana Martinez called a "sham." Instead, the committee approved a straight forward bill submitted by Andy Nunez, the only independent member of the legislature. The Nunez bill (HB-103), which repeals the current law, has the support of the vast majority of New Mexico citizens. The bill is expected to make it through the House of Representatives.

All eyes will then shift in the direction of Democrats in the N.M. Senate. Last year every Democrat in the Senate, except John Arthur Smith of Deming, looked the other way and allowed the reform to die. The inaction by Senate Democrats brought silent cheers from the crime syndicates that realized they could remain in the business of exploiting the New Mexico law for at least another year.

Since the reform process died in the hands of Senate Democrats last year, some have expressed remorse and said they will yield to the overwhelming majority of their constituents and vote to repeal the bill. However, so far there are no signs that any Senate Democrats are willing to actually work in a positive way towards putting the driver’s license crime syndicates out of business in this state. Talk is still the cheapest commodity in Santa Fe.

Thursday night, Representatives Ken Martinez and Sheryl Williams Stapleton, both Democrats in control of the House Labor and Human Resources committee, marshaled unanimous support within their own party. They killed a bill that would have reformed their own pension plan.

The bill called for a slight increase in state legislator contributions to an exclusive and lucrative taxpayer-backed pension program. The bill would have also established an age minimum of 62 for legislators before they could begin drawing their pensions.

Ironically, Stapleton is also one of just a few legislators that takes a full salary from the public schools while she is in Santa Fe with the rest of the state's legislators, who are unpaid.

“My constituents have faced hard times over the last few years,” said Labor Committee member Rep. Rick Little who voted for the reforms. "The taxpayers deserve to see us make responsible reforms to our own pensions. We need to live within our means just as New Mexico families do.”